Bird Guide

Black-faced Cormorant vs Spotted Shag

Black-faced Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscescens)

Black-faced Cormorant

Phalacrocorax fuscescens

Huge1.5 kgMarine

Like other cormorant species, the black-faced cormorant is a large aquatic bird, with a long hooked bill, webbed feet, and monochromatic plumage. This is one of the largest cormorants found in south-western Australia and has pied plumage with the upper half of its body black and the undersides white. Its face is naked and black, hence the "black-faced" name, and the tail, feet, and thighs are also black. The back feathers are glossy, and its bill is dark grey with a prominent hook at the tip. It has blue-green eyes. Voice: Black-faced cormorants are usually silent when away from the breeding colony. However, when they are at their nests, the male will emit a loud honk or guttural croak, and the female will hiss when approached.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Spotted Shag (Phalacrocorax punctatus)

Spotted Shag

Phalacrocorax punctatus

Large1.2 kgMarine

The spotted shag is a medium-sized marine bird. They are usually between 64 and 74 centimetres (25 and 29 in) high and weigh between 700 and 1,200 grams (25 and 42 oz). Their bodies are very slim and they have a very distinctive black, decurved, double crest growing on their nape and their forehead. They have a long, slender, orange-brown coloured, hooked bill and yellow-orange feet. The feathers on their bodies are grey and blue. The adults have small black spots on their backs and wings, which gave them their name. Their irises are brown, while the ring around the iris is blue.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand · CC0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-faced Cormorant and Spotted Shag.